Additional Services
Additional Sessions
Group Sessions
Our groups focus on leadership, setting attainable goals, academic excellence, peer support systems, and solid decision making. As a result of group participation, these new, healthy behaviors replace old behaviors of drug and alcohol abuse, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. There are at least two therapists in each group, and at least one therapist possesses a Masters Degree or higher.
We offer different groups throughout treatment, including Gender Specific Group, Community Group, and Life Skills Group.
Individual Sessions
Clients generally meet with their therapist once a week; if needed, more than one session a week may be scheduled. Our foundations are in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Therapists have backgrounds in Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Reality Therapy. We discuss issues that are causing pain or problems and work on building character and integrity to bring clients out of self entitlement and toward the development of intrinsic reward. We use concepts utilized in business coaching to motivate and elicit change.
We offer individualized treatment plans, contracts, and educational/vocational support for all clients.
Family Sessions
Guardian(s) are expected to be part of the treatment process. Family involvement allows individuals to discuss family dynamics, behavioral patterns and expectations from their own perspectives in order to work towards positive changes together. Family group meets biweekly and family sessions are scheduled as needed.
We also offer a community group for guardian(s) in our treatment community.
Additional Group Services
Gender Specific Group
Our Gender Specific Groups allow for a safe and supportive environment to address core issues. Men and women identify differently and many times find clarity and understanding through engaging with like their own gender on several key levels which include Self-Esteem & Self-Worth, Conflict Resolution & Anger Management, Family Roles, Self-Image, Body Image & Health, Defense Mechanisms/Unhealthy Coping Patterns, Healthy Exploration of Emotions, and much more.
Life Skills Group (Psychoeducation)
Some clients who are dealing with such issues as executive functioning disorder, anxiety, depression and ADHD benefit from working on coping strategies that help them navigate through some of the struggles in their lives. The Life Skills Group is a comfortable place for our clients to learn new and healthy coping skills.
Additional Family Services
Community Group
Community Group is the time for guardian(s) and adolescents/young adults to work together in a group. They are able to talk about how things are going at home from their own perspectives. Our group leader facilitates support for both the parents and the clients. Clients leave the Community Group after the check-in to attend an in-house speaker meeting, and the parents remain with the group leader for their own support group, where they can discuss their concerns, the treatment process and how to cope.
Additional Individual Services
Individualized Treatment Plans
Our Treatment Plans are developed based on the needs of each individual client. The Plans outline life standards that best match age appropriate guidelines for life skills development. Guardian(s) are asked evaluation questions based on current industry-standard guidelines designed to aid in the diagnosis of their child’s state of emotional and mental health. The treatment plans include realistic goals with directives to achieve those goals, and are created to help adolescents, young adults and their families get their lives back on track.
Drug Screens and Saliva Test
All Adolescent & Young Adult Advocates clients sign an Agreement to Treatment form that includes agreement for their therapists to obtain urine or saliva samples that will be tested for prescription medications as well as illicit substances during the treatment process. Random drug screens initiated by A2 are considered confidential between the team, client and client’s group. Parents/guardians may request a drug screen and the result from A2, if considered an appropriate therapeutic intervention and releases are signed.
Contracts
Contracts are made between clients and parents with A2 staff when treatment goals are not met within a suitable time frame. These agreements are designed with consequences and privileges appropriate to the attitude or behavior of the client to promote accountability, responsibility, honesty, integrity, leadership. Our Team will go to extreme lengths to aid your child’s journey to success.
Recovery Coaching
Recovery from addiction can be difficult and confusing. Sometimes a client and/or family need to acquire life tools in addition to the therapy and support they get at A2 to help them cope with the changes and challenges of living through the recovery process. For these situations, A2 has a Recovery Coach available to work with clients to set and meet realistic life goals to help them stay sober. She can work with parents to help them understand what their child is going through, and to give them the support they needs to support their child and themselves.
Educational Services
Short-Term Schooling
When a student is suspended or expelled, our team will work with their school to help them get back on track academically while getting the therapeutic support they need. We have a teacher certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and other qualified staff members who will work with clients individually to complete their schoolwork, provide psycho-education and other activities. We can also provide educational support for clients who are in transition from inpatient care.
Tutoring
Some of our clients have difficulty with study skills. This can have a severe impact on grades and self-esteem. Our tutoring program helps get students on track for academic success. We can also work with clients who need encouragement and guidance when looking for a job or applying to college or graduate school.
Educational Consulting
We recognize that tutoring may not provide all of the support that a client might need if they are having extreme difficulties in their current school. A2 has educational consultants available to work with these clients, their families and the Adolescent and Young Adult Advocates team to find the best possible educational situation. Some clients would benefit from attending a traditional boarding school, need help applying to college or assistance transferring to a local college or university. For this we use our in-house consultant, Hench Murray.
Others may be best served by attending a treatment program in a unique setting, such as a therapeutic boarding school or a wilderness program, for which we use an outside consultant. Our therapy team and consultants can work together to facilitate the path to placement in prestigious academic institutions with good support systems. A client who stays in the area can continue utilizing our outpatient services following a treatment plan tailored to his or her specific needs
